For her first book, Kristina Ashley followed Mark Twain’s sage advice to “write what you know.”
The elementary school teacher and mother of two wrote a book for children called “The Rescue,” centered on her childhood experience of adopting a shelter dog.
Ashley, 29, who taught third grade last year at John Reed Elementary and lives in Cotati, picked her topic on the advice of her husband, Micah, after struggling to find a topic that had not already been well-covered by other children’s books.
“I always wanted to write a book because I didn’t like reading when I was younger,” Ashley said. “I gravitated towards children’s books because they always had a piece of my heart.”
“The Rescue” is about a girl and her family finding out just how difficult it can be to adopt a pet. Sometimes it can take time to find the dog that is the perfect fit for a family’s personality, especially when there are so many to choose from.
Ashley, whose family has a dog named Billy, said she felt the topic was something her own children should learn about, and the book gave her a chance to reach a wider audience.
“There are just so many animals out there,” she said.
Writing the book was relatively easy, Ashley said.
“It took me a couple of days to write the entire thing,” she said.
Getting published was another matter.
“I submitted the book to about 50 different publishers,” she said. With no experience in writing or publishing it was tough going until a retired colleague helped get her in contact with Tate Publishing in Oklahoma.
Ashley provided the writing, and Tate took care of the art.
“I provided descriptions of what I wanted and then they sent me a proof and I loved it,” she said. “They created exactly what I wanted.”
The book was released April 23, and Ashley has been doing promotional work since, with book signings at Rohnert Park’s farmers market and other spots around town, as well as in Mill Valley.
For now writing is just a hobby and not a long-term goal.
“My heart is in teaching,” she said.
Ashley, who grew up in Petaluma, has been teaching in the Cotati-Rohnert Park school district for eight years.
While she enjoys teaching third-graders, her favorite grade is sixth because “they get my sarcasm.” Ashley read the book last year to a sixth-grade class and signed copies for them.
She has already written a second children’s book, “What Can I Be When I Grow Up?” It originated from conversations with her daughter, Savannah.
She hasn’t yet pitched the second book to her publisher, as she is busy promoting “The Rescue.”
You can get your own copy of “The Rescue” on Amazon.com or directly from Tate Publishing at TatePublishing.com.
